Pipe reamer and mill



March 25, 1958 E. l.. coNpRA Re 24,445

PIPE REAMER AND MILL Y v 4 5 0 n United States Patent* Qiihce PIPEREAMER AND` MILLw Elmo-L; condmlongeachficnltf.

This :invention retates to; a piperearn'er andimiunwhieh isused in' oil,gas orwater'wells for the purpose of severing pipe which may be in thewell, or for the purpose of cutting what is termed a window in the pipeif it is necessary to by-pass or deect the hole for any reason. My toolmay also be used as a router or a means of com'- pletely pulverizing asection of pipe after thatv section 1 has been severed from the mainportion of the pipe.

An object of my invention is to provide a novel pipe reamer and millwhich can be easily inserted inthe pipe and the cutters of which can bereadily moved into engagement with the pipe for` the purpose of cuttingor reaming the same.

Another object of my invention is to provide a novel pipe `reamer andmill, in which the cutters are pressed against the inside of the pipe bymeans of a block which is pressed against the pipe on the side oppositethe cutters.

Another object of my invention isl to provide a novel pipe reamer andmill in which the activating-block is pressed against the insideof thepipe by means of uid pressure. This uid pressure is exerted from thesurface of the well by means of the usual slush pump.

Still another object of my invention is-to provide a novel pipe reamerand mill. in which the activating block which presses the cuttersagaiustthe pipe is urged. outwardly by being caused to move upwardly onan inclined rod; this upward movement being achieved by connecting theblock to a fluid actuated piston, the fluid pressure being achieved froma pump at the surface of vthe well.

A still further object of the invention is to supply a novelV pipereamer and mill in which the cutter is only disposed in a cuttingposition during the time hydraulic pressure ismointained on the inferiorof the device, and is of such construction that upon cessation ofmaintenance. of the hydraulic pressure, the cutters dsengage from thetubular member being reamed or milled upon upward movement of the.invention.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a pipe reamer and millin which the lateral force exerted by the cutters on the tubular memberon` which work is being performed is controllable not only by thepressure exerted on the hydraulic fluid used in actuating same, but onthe derential in surface areas existing between the lower surface of apiston and the upper surface of a tube associated therewith which areboth contacted by the actuating hydraulic fiuid.

A further object of the invention is to supply a pipe reamer and mill inwhich the cutter actuating piston moves upwardly in a direction oppositethat to the flow of the actuating fiuid.v

Other objects, advantages and features of invention may 'appear from'theaccompanying drawing, the subjoined detailed description and theappended claims.

. VIntthe'drawing:

Figure` l is a longitudinal .sectional view' of Vmy' pipe reamer andmill.

y Re. 24,445 Reissued Mar. 25, 1958 Figure 2 'is a fragmentarylongitudinal sectional'view of the'lowe'rpart of my pipe reamer andmill, and showing the cutters in position of completely severing thepipe.

Figure El is 7asectional view -taken on line 3-3 Aof Figure .I.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on line of Figure'2.

Referring moreparticularly to the drawing, the numeral I indicates' thepipe or casing, and it is this pipe whichfsfto be cut'vor severed inorder that the casing or pipe might be removed from the well, or that asection thereof might' be completelyA pulverized or ground up for thepurpose of drilling through the pipe at an angle to .the centerline ofthe casing, or for other purposes'. My pipeY reamer and mill is operatedon drill pipe 2, ail of. which isusual Vand vwell known in the art;

Thepipereamer and mill consist of a coupling 3 which istlneadedvas-sh'own at 4 to receive the threaded connectiomoflthe'drill pipe 2. Afitting 5 s threaded into the couplinglf and the purpose of this tttingwill be further describedV A- pipe section 6 is threaded onto the lowerendiofrthe-tting 5 and this pipe section formsa cylinder for the' .fluidactuated mechanism, as will be further described;`l Afmandrel 7 isthreaded onto the lower end of tiret-pipe" orV cylinder 6, 'and thismandrel hascutting or reaming teeth 8 projecting from onesidek thereof.An openiugiorP-window 9 is provided through the wall of the mandreli7onf the side opposite the teeth '8L An activating blockItt'isxpos'itioned within thevr mandrel` 7 and is adaptedftomovevertically within the mandrel and Vto be projected through. thewindow 9. Th'e'block 10 is slidablymounted on an inclined rod 11" andthis rod is xedly attached within. the mandrel 7 so that the block`10will bezm-ovedoutwardly throughthewindow 9 as the block movesupwardly on this rod.

A. piston :12 ismounted within thev cylinder 6 and movesvupwardly inthiscylinder underfluid pressure,"as will befurther described'. A tube-13I rises from the piston 12 and extends 'through the fitting 5.Suitable packing 14 in the. ttingS surrounds the tube 13 vand-preventsfluid from leaking around the outsid'eof this` tube. A pluralityl ofoutletports 15 areprovided in the piston and-the ports communicate 'withthe tubeV lit.'V Thus uid under pressure from the drill pipe 2 canV Howdownwardly through the tube' 13 and out through rthe ports 15 toexpand.y the cupV 16 of the piston, and thusjexert its pressure belowthe piston.' A restrictedA orice V17 at the upper end of the-mandrel 7'restricts the'tlow of fluid therethrough, creating an -upward pressurein-the cylinder 6 and'be'low the piston 12, thus urgingthe pistonupwardly in thecylinder. A'cable or other flexible connection 18 isattached .at one end to the block 10 and at the other vend to the piston12'. This cable extends through the orifice or port 17- thus furtherrestricting this orifice. A iluid outlet hole 19 is provided inthebottom of the mandrel 7 so thatcirculating Huid-'can pass 'out of thetool at this point. A bleedV hole Ztis provided in' the tting'S so thatany fluid which might accumulate above thepiston 12 canY readily surgein and out of the space above the piston without 'hindering the-movementthereof.

In operation my pipe reamer andmill is lowereditd the casing 1 to thepoint desired. When this point-s reachedl uid from thelslus'h pump isforced into thedrillfy pipe 2 and this uid passes downwardly through thedrill pipe, thence through the tube 13 out through the ports 15 and isrestricted in its further downward ow bythe orifice 17. The restrictionat 17 thus creates-an upward pressureagainst. the bottom. of. the piston1-2 urgingthe pistonupwardly inthe cylniderf. Y An upward pull'onthecabley 18 rnow moves `the bloclclo` upwardly on the-in'- clinedfrod 11.-Tlie. block wimovesfout'througlr the 3 window 9 and presses against theinside of thecasing 1, thus pressing the cutters 8 on the opposite sideof the mandrel 7 against the inside of the casing 1. Rotation of thedrill pipe 2 will now cause the cutters 8 to cut or sever the casing 1.A continued upward pressure is exerted on the block 10, thuscontinuously pressing the cutters`8 into the casing 1 until the casingis entirely severed. The amount of pressure which is exerted on theteeth 8 to press them against the casing 1 can b e changed as requiredby changing the uid pressure of the slush pump.

It will be apparent from an inspection of Figure 1 that the lowersurface of piston 12 and the upper horizontal ring-shaped surface oftube 13 are both in contact with hydraulic fluid discharged downwardlythrough drill pipe 2 to my pipe reamer and mill positioned therebelow.Likewise, it will be apparent that there is a substantial dierential inarea between the lower surface of piston 12 contacting by the hydraulicfluid when projected onto a horizontal plane and the horizontal area ofthe upper extremity of tube 13. This differential in surface areasexposed to the hydraulic fluid is responsible not only for the upwardmovement of piston 12 in a direction opposite to that of the flow of thehydraulic fluid, but also as this dierential is increased, the lateralforce exerted by the cutters 8 as they assume pressure Contact withcasing 1, can be increased. Thus, the force exerted by 'cutters 8 may becontrolled not only by the fluid pressure of the slush pump, but by thedifferential in surface areas as above mentioned.

My pipe reamer and mill provides operational advantages in that itcannot be stuck in the pipe or casing I, for the piston 12 is only movedupwardly to actuate cutters 8 to a cutting position when pressure ismaintained on the fluid. Accordingly, when it is desired to disengagethe cutters 8 from the tubular member on which work is being performed,pressure is merely removed from the hydraulic fluid and upward movementimparted to drill pipe 2. This last-mentioned operation results indownward movement of the cutters 8 relative to cylinder 6 from theposition shown in Figures 2 and 4 to that illustrated in Figures 1 and 3where my pipe reamer and mill is free to be raised or lowered in pipe orcasing.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A pipe reamer and mill comprising a coupling adapted to be attachedto a drill pipe, a cylinder below the coupling, means connecting thecylinder and the coupling, a piston in said cylinder, a tube rising fromthe piston and extending through said means, said tube being open at thetop and the bottom thereof, the bottom opening below the piston, amandrel attached to the cylinder, cutters on one side of the mandrel, ablock, said mandrel having a window therein through which said block maymove, means mounting said block on the mandrel for vertical and lateralmovement in said window, and means connecting said block and the piston.

2. A pipe reamer and mill comprising a coupling adapted to be attachedto a drill pipe, a cylinder below the coupling, means connecting thecylinder and the coupling, a piston in said cylinder, a tube rising fromthe piston and extending through said means, said -tube being open atthe top and the bottom thereof, the bottom opening below the piston, amandrel attached to the cylinder, cutters on one side of the mandrel, ablock, said mandrel having a Window therein through which said block maymove, means mounting said block on the mandrel for vertical and lateralmovement in said window, and means connecting said block and the piston,and a restricting orifice in the lower part of the cylinder, saidorifice being below the piston. l

3. A pipe reamer and mill comprising a coupling adapted to be attachedto a drill pipe, a cylinder below theA coupling,Y means connecting thecylinder and the coupling, apiston in said cylinder, a tube rising fromthe piston and extending through said means, said tube being open atthel top vand the bottom thereof, the bottom opening bea4,44s f low thepiston,.a mandrel attached to the cylinder, cutters on one side of themandrel, a block, said mandrel having a window therein through whichsaid block may move, an inclined rod positioned Within the mandrel, saidblock being slidably mounted on the rod for vertical and lateralmovement in said window, and means connecting said block and the piston.

4. A pipe reamer and mill comprising a coupling adapted to be attachedto a drilly pipe, a cylinder below the coupling,means connecting thecylinder and the coupling, a piston in said cylinder, a tube rising fromthe piston and extending through said means, said tube being open at thetop and the bottom thereof, the bottom opening below the piston, amandrel attached to the cylinder, cutters on one side of the mandrel, ablock, said mandrel having a window therein through which said block maymove, means mounting said block on the mandrel for vertical and lateralmovement in said window, a cable attached at one end to the block and atthe other'end to the piston.

5. A pipe reamer and mill comprising a coupling adapted to be attachedto a drill pipe, a cylinder below the coupling, means connecting thecylinder and the coupling, a piston in said cylinder, a tube rising fromthe piston and extending through said means, said tube being open at thetop and the bottom thereof, the bottom opening below the piston, amandrel attached to the cylinder, cutters on one side of the mandrel, ablock, said mandrel having a window therein through which said block maymove, an inclined rod positioned within the mandrel, said block beingslidably mounted on the rod for vertical and lateral movement in saidwindow, and means connecting said block and the piston, and arestricting orifice in the lower part of the cylinder, said orificebeing below the piston.

6. A pipe reamer and mill comprising a coupling adapted to be attachedto a drill pipe, a cylinder below the coupling, means connecting thecylinder and the coupling, a piston in said cylinder, a tube rising fromthe i piston and extending through said means, said tube being open atthe top and the bottom thereof, the bottom opening below the piston, amandrel attached to the cylin der,vcutters on one side of the mandrel, ablock, said mandrel having a window therein through which said block maymove, means mounting said block on the mandrel for vertical and lateralmovement in said window, a cable attached at one end to the block and atthe other end to the piston, and a restricting orifice in the lower partof the cylinder, said orilice being below the piston.

7. A pipe reamer and mill comprising a coupling adapted to be attachedvto drill pipe, a cylinder below the coupling, a fitting connecting thecylinder and the coupling, a piston in said cylinder, a tube rising fromthe piston and extending through said fitting, packing means in thefitting around the tube, said tube being open at the top and bottomthereof, the bottom opening being below the piston, a mandrel below andattached to said cylinder, cutters on one side of the mandrel, a block,said mandrel having a window therein through which said block may move,means mounting said block in the mandrel for vertical and lateralmovement in said window, and means connecting said block and the piston.

8. A pipe reamer and mill comprising a coupling adaptedto be attached todrill pipe, a cylinder below the coupling, a fitting connecting thecylinder and the coupling, a piston in said cylinder, a tube rising fromthe piston and extending through said fitting, packing means in thefitting around the tube, said tube being open at the top and bottomthereof, the bottom opening being below the piston, a mandrel below andattached to said cylinder, cutters on one side of the mandrel, a block,said mandrel having a window therein through which said block may move,an inclined rod in the mandrel, said block being slidable on the rod forvertical and lateral movement in said window, and means connecting saidblock and the piston.

9. A pipe reamer and mill comprising a coupling adapted to be attachedto drill pipe, a cylinder below the coupling, a fitting connecting thecylinder and the coupling, a piston in said cylinder, a tube rising fromthe piston and extending through said fitting, packing means in thefitting around the tube, said tube being open at the top and bottomthereof, the bottom opening being below the piston, a mandrel below andattached to said cylinder, cutters on one side of the mandrel, a block,said mandrel having a window therein through which said block may move,means mounting said block in the mandrel of vertical and lateralmovement in said window, and a cable connecting said block and thepiston.

10. A pipe reamer and mill comprising a coupling adapted to be attachedto drill pipe, a cylinder below the coupling, a fitting connecting thecylinder and the coupling, a piston in said cylinder, a tube rising fromthe piston and extending through said fitting, packing means in thefitting around the tube, said tube being open at the top and bottomthereof, the bottom opening being below the piston, a mandrel below andattached to said cylinder, cutters on one side of the mandrel, a block,said mandrel having a window therein through which said block may move,means mounting said block in the mandrel for vertical and lateralmovement in said window, and a cable connecting said block and thepiston, and a restricting orifice in the lower part of the cylinder,said orifice being below the piston.

11. A pipe reamer and mill actuatable by hydraulic fluid under pressureto cut a tubular member disposed in a well bore and including a couplingadapted to be attached to the lower extremity of a drill pipe,comprising: elongate tubular body-defining means smaller in transversecross-sectional area than that of said tubular mem,- ber and adapted tobe raised and lowered therein, said body-defining means depending fromsaid coupling and in which body-defining means a longitudinallyextending confined space is defined that communicates with both a firstbore situated thereabove and an orifice positioned therebelow, said borebeing substantially smaller in cross section than said confined space; apiston slidably mounted in said confined space and formed with alongitudinally extending second bore; a tube slidably mounted in saidfirst bore and axed to said piston in communication with said secondbore, said tube terminating on its upper extremity in a ring-shapedsurface of substantially less area than the lower surface of saidpiston; cutter means supported from said body-defining means; means thatmove said cutter means into cutting pressure contact with said tubularmember when said fluid under pressure is discharged into said confinedspace below said piston to move said piston upwardly therein, saidpressure contact being proportional to the dierential in area betweensaid upper surface of said tube and said lower surface of said piston;and sealing means that slidably and sealingly engage said tube toprevent flow of said fluid be. tween the exterior surface of said tubeand the surface of said first bore.

12. A pipe reamer and mill as defined in claim 11 wherein saidbody-defining means has an orifice formed therein below the lowermostposition to which said piston travels, said orice being substantiallysmaller in crosssectional area than the interior cross section of saidtube, which orifice permits the escape of said Huid from said confinedspace but at a lesser rate than it can be discharged thereinto throughsaid tube.y

13. A pipe reamer and mill as defined in claim Il wherein a passage isformed in said body-defining means above the uppermost position thereinto which said piston rises, said passage extending from said confinedspace to a position on the exterior of said body-defining means, whichpassage permits the escape of fluid from said confined space above saidpiston to the exterior of said bodydefining means by upward movement ofsaid piston.

References Cited in the file of this patent or the original patentUNITED STATES PATENTS 1,805,515 Denny May 19, 1931 1,913,636 King Iune13, 1933 2,078,401 McCann Apr. 27, 1937 .2,136,518 Nixon Nov. 15, 19382,622,679 Ranson Dec. 23, 1952'

